The Deuterocanon
The Prayer of Azariah
The prayer from inside the furnace, and the song the three sang in the fire.
One of three Greek additions to Daniel, inserted into the furnace scene between verses of chapter three. Azariah, whom the Babylonians called Abednego, prays from inside the fire, confessing the nation's sin and asking to be received as an offering, and then the three men sing a hymn calling on every created thing to bless the Lord, sun and moon, frost and snow, whales and cattle. That hymn, the Benedicite, entered Christian liturgy early and is still sung in Anglican morning prayer. It is Scripture for Catholics and Orthodox as part of Daniel, and printed among the Apocrypha by Protestants.
If you remember one thing
The Song of the Three, calling on all creation to bless the Lord, has been sung in Christian worship since the early centuries and is still in many prayer books.
Who, when, and why
- Written
- An addition placed inside Daniel 3 in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles.
- First readers
- Readers of Daniel.
- Why it was written
- What the three said while the furnace burned.
How it is shaped
- 1 to 22Azariah's prayer from the furnace
- 23 to 27The furnace described
- 28 to 68The song of the three young men
What it keeps coming back to
A verse to carry
“Bless the Lord, all works of the Lord; sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.”
Song of the Three 35
Passages that trouble readers
Placement
Inserted into Daniel 3 between verses 23 and 24 in Greek editions, so chapter and verse numbering differs between Bibles. The Benedicite from this passage is still sung in Anglican morning prayer.
Named here rather than skipped. Where Christians read a passage differently, we say so instead of choosing for you.
Who receives this book
Read within Daniel 3 in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles; printed separately in the Apocrypha.
No one from this book has a write-up yet. The hall is still filling.
The whole book, with the people and places explained as you read. Available in KJV. Chapters marked ✦ carry a verse the New Testament takes up.
A quiz for The Prayer of Azariah is on the workbench. In the meantime, the games for the judges, the kings, and the prophets are open.